The FCC Officially Moves To Repeal Net Neutrality

By Madison Dapcevich

22 Feb 2018, 23:10

The commission says the move “returns to the light-touch regulatory scheme that enabled the internet to develop and thrive for nearly two decades.”

Dissenting democratic commissioner Mignon Clyburn called the order the “Cheshire cat version of net neutrality. We will be in a world where regulatory substance fades to black, and all that is left is a broadband provider’s toothy grin and those oh so comforting words: we have every incentive to do the right thing."

Internet providers – like Comcast, AT&T, Spectrum, and Verizon – will now be able to favor certain sites and charge customers additional fees to access them. ISPs can put apps or companies that pay more into the fast lane (their content will load more quickly and appear at the top in feeds), but their policies must be made transparent to consumers.

For big companies that can afford those charges, this might not have a huge impact, but start-ups with less funds will likely be limited.